Breather pump



May 3 1927.

C. DANNA BREATH ER PUMP Filed March 13. 1925 fit) Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED STATES CHARLES DANNA. OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

BREATHER PUMP.

Application filed March 13, 1925.

The present invention consists of a breath er pump especially adapted for use as the suction agency of a vacuum cleaner.

An object of the invention is to provide a rectilinear pump of extreme simplicity which. during each cycle of operation, induces materials into the pump cylinder through an opening in the latter and ex pels the same through a separate opening without the use of valves or other mechanical expedients to close the inlet: opening of the cylinder.

A coordinate object of the invention is to employ a cylinder of novel construction which coacts with a piston of standard construction and is of a size and configuration which makes its use especially desirable in portable mechanisms of manually, mechanically or electrically operated types.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum apparatus especially adapted to loosen up dust and other extraneous materials which accumulate inside of piano valve actions and to provide a suitable exit through the medium of which the dust and surplus air may be expelled without bursting the sheepskin pouches of the valve actions or in any way damaging them or impairing their efficiency. especially on the compression stroke of the pump fornr ing a part of the apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is to provide suitable supporting means, not only for supporting the pump and means by which .it is operated, but also serving as a support for the power element employed in driving said mechanism.

Additional objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description of the one form of invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevational View, partly in elevation. of a pump constructed in accordance with this invention; and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

The device of the present invention mcludes a supporting structure consisting oi a discal buse-3 which has a pedestal & rising upwardly therefrom. This pedestal may be of any desired height and has the upper end thereof flattened and bent at right angles to rovide a shelf 5 which supports a saddle 6. The saddle. in the present instance. consists of a plate the body of which is fixedly secured to the shelf 5 while one end thereof is bent downwardly at right angles Serial No. 15,292.

and secured to the pump operating mechamsm generally designated 7.

The pump proper consists of a cylinder 8 the inner end of which is open and the opposite end closed as indicated at 9. The closed end 9 of the cylinder has its inner wall 10 canted or disposed at an inclination. The closed end 9 is provided with an axial tubular extension 11 the bore of which communicates with a similar opening in the end 9 of the cylinder. Said bore and opening provide an inlet port through which materials and air may be withdrawn on the suction stroke of a piston 12 which is reciprocably mounted in the cylinder. A nipple 13 radiates from the outer periphery of the cylinder 8 at the closed end of the latter and is provided with a screwthreaded bore 14 which communicates with the bore of the cylinder. Upon reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings it will be noted that the rcduced part of the closed end 9 of the cylinder merges into the nipple 14 so that materials and air will be deflected toward the bore 14 of said nipple.

The mechanism employed for driving the pump which has been generally designated 7 supra, consists of a frame 15 which in the present instance is shown to be of substantially V-shape in side elevation the apex of which is fixedly secured to an extension 16 formed on the open end of the cylinder 8. The frame has a pair of spur gears rotatably mounted thereon which are indicated at 17 and 18 and in the present instance are shown to be of a ratio of approximately 2 to 1 respectively. The gear 18 has one end of a link 19 eccentrically mounted thereon the opposite end of said link being pivotally mounted between the branches 20 of the bifurcated end of a piston rod 21 which latter is secured to the piston 12 in an obvious manner. The piston rod 21 operates through a guide 22 which is carried by the extension 16 of the pump cylinder.

If desired. the pump operating mechanism may be actuatcdby electrical means in which instance an electrical motor, such as that indicated at 23, may be employed. The motor is of standard configuration and is detachably mounted upon the saddle G. A. drive pinion 24 is carried by the motor and is adapted to mesh with the spur gear wheel 17 so as to transmit motion to the piston 12 in an .obvious manner. If it is desired to operate the mechanism mechanically, a

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handle may be mounted upon the gear wheel ti as indicated by the dotted lines 25 in Fig. t. In order to l acilitate carryin of the device a handle 26 is provided which is secured to the t'ramc 15 at the outer end of the latter.

It is to be understood that the extension 11 may be equipped with suitable means through which the force. of the piston operating in the cylimler is exerted. In Fig. 2 ot the drawings a flexible tube 27 is illustrated which is mounted on the. extension and is equipped on its outer end with a head 28. This tube and head are shown tor the purpose of illustrating the al'il'ilication ol' the invention and are especially adapted for use in loosening dust from piano valve actions. in order to regulate the magnitude of suction created on the suction stroke of the piston, a suital'ile valve screw 25) is provided which is adjustably mounted in the screwthreaded bore ll of the nipple 13. This nipple provided with an opening ti near its base through which materials and air sucked into the cylinder are expelled in a manner hereinafter set t'orth.

In use of this device the piston is operated by either the electrical or manual means shown and, it the piston is positioned as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the first stroke of the piston will be the suction stroke. This suction stroke of the piston will create a v cuum within the power chamber of the pump which is located between the outer wall of the piston 12 and the inner wall 10 of the closed end S) of the cylinder. The vacuum is first. partly relieved by the opening 30 and as the suction stroke progresses the linear rate of piston travel, and consequently 'acuum generation, becomes decreased. This is due, principally to the ununitorin relation of a linear motion induced by a. point. travellingrotatably around the orbit of a circle. This permits the atmospherical pressure to gain ingress to the power chamber through the opening 30 so as to first gradually and then completely relieve the state of vacuum in the. cylinder be fore the compressi n stroke of the piston begins. Assuming that the head 2 of the flexible tube 27 is in proper contact with an object to be cleaned. such as one of the small pouches usually forming part of the valve action of player pianos, it; will be apparent that on the suction stroke of the piston dust particles on the inside of the pouch will be drawn into the cylinder 8 and as the bore of tube 27 and extension 11 is greater in diameter than opening 30, the air and dust particles from the pouch will be drawn into the cylinder more readily and in greater volume than the air drawn in through opening 30. Having thus been drawn into the cylinder, the dust particles being heavier than air tend to settle and accumulate between the piston 12 and the sloping wall It) of the cylinder as the vacuum is at first gradually and then completely relieved by the air entering through opening 30. Since the vacuum is relieved before the piston begins its return or compression stroke, it is obvious that in the interval between the completion ot the suc tion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke, the tube 27 together with the pouch at the end thereof has become filled with air entering through the opening 30. Hence, upon the compression stroke of the piston the air within the cylinder, tube and pouch, is compressed owing to their being no escapement except through the very small opening 30. This compression is, theretore, at first partly and then completely relieved by the escape of air through opening 30. the velocity of the escaping air being such as to completely relieve the compression before, the piston begins its subsequent stroke. he escaping air carries with it the dust particles previously drawn into the cylinder, the deflection of the particles toward the exit. Cit) being facilitated by the sloping wall It). It has been tound upon actual use of the device herein shown that best results are obtained by permitting only a. relatively small portion of the opening 30 to be uncovered, in other words, leaving only a sullicient aperture through which the materials and air in the cylinder may be expelled. Ot course, the valve screw 29 may be adjusted to increase or diminish the opening depending upon the conditions under which the device is operating.

It is to be undcrstoml that. the device of the present. invention is capable of a variety of uses and may be moditied within the scope of the appended claims to especially adapt. itself for use in the particular capacity in which it. is employed. Various changes may be made in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts within the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat is claimed ist 1. A breather pump including a cylinder provided with a valveless inlet port and an independent outlet p rt, said inlet port being relatively smaller in diameter than the bore of the cylinder, and a piston mounted in said cylinder and operable to cause suction through both the inlet and outlet ports on the suction stroke of the piston and ex pulsion ot' the cylinder contents through both of said ports on the compression stroke of the piston.

2. A breather pump including a cylinder provided with a constricted axial inlet port and a peripheral outlet port equipped with means to adjust the size of the port opening, and a piston operable in the cylinder to draw materials into the latter through the inlet opening and expel the materials through the outlet openin i Ill) 3. A breather pump including a cylinder with an end formed integral therewith and provided with an inlet opening the diameter of which is relatively smaller than the diameter of the cylinder bore, said cylinder having an outlet port equipped with adjustable means for varying the size of the outlet opening, and a piston operable in the cylinder to draw air into the latter through both the inlet opening and outlet port on the suction stroke of the piston, and to expel air through both of said ports on the compression stroke of the piston.

4. A breather pump for removing dust from the pouches of piano valve actions, including a cylinder having a suction and compression port at the lower or power end thereof, a valveless piston reciprocally mounted within said cylinder, means at said port through which the force of the piston operating in the cylinder is exerted, said means being adapted to be placed in communication with one of the pouches of the piano valve action. and means for admitting air into the cylinder between the piston and the said port in such quantity during the suction stroke of the piston as to first gradually and then completely relieve the state of vacuum therein before the piston begins its return or compression stroke, said means serving also as an escape port through which the contents of the cylinder escape during the compression stroke in such quantity to first gradually and then completely relieve the compression within the cylinder before the piston begins its subsequent stroke.

5. A breather pump comprising a power chamber having a communicating opening in the bottom thereof and an outlet opening in the side thereof, said bottom opening serving as a suction and compression port and said side opening serving as an airintake port well as a discharge port, a piston reciprocably mounted within the power chamber, means for actuating the said piston to produce rapid alternating ac tions of suction and compression, and means for regulating the amount of the opening of the said air-intake port to relieve the suction and compression within the power chamber at first gradually and then completely.

6. A breather pump comprising a power chamber having an axial tubular extension con'miunicating with the interior of the chamber through an opening in the power end thereof and a lateral tubular extension communicating with the interior of the chamber through an opening in the side thereof, adjacent the said power end, said chamber having the inner surface of its power end canted to provide a deflecting surface sloping towards the opening of the said lateral tubular extension and said lateral tubular extension being provided with a lateral opening serving as an air-intake port for the power chamber as well as a discharge port therefor, and a regulating member adjustable longitudinally of the said lateral tubular extension for regulating the amount of the opening of the said air-intake and discharge port.

CHARLES DANNA. 

